Crack down on Tamil Tigers requested

LONDON, June 13 (UPI) -- The president of Sri Lanka called on the British government to stop the Tamil Tigers from raising money in Britain.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa told The Times of London in an interview Thursday that Tamil expatriates living in Britain contribute $140 million every year to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The group, known popularly as the Tamil Tigers, have been involved in a bloody fight with the Sri Lankan government for 30 years.

Rajapaksa, who is attending a British Commonwealth meeting, said he discussed the issue with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He said that many Tamils are forced to contribute to the Tigers, with amounts set as a percentage of their income.

"You can't have two different attitudes toward terrorism," he told The Times. "I don't agree that there are good terrorists and bad terrorists. There is only one kind of terrorist."

Rajapaksa said he won't have peace talks with the Tigers unless the group disarms.

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